The Denver Broncos can secure a spot for Sean Payton in the top 10 for all-time coaching wins with a solid 2026 campaign.
The Denver Broncos are gearing up for another dominant season and deep playoff run after nearly advancing to the Super Bowl in 2025.
After going 14-3 in the regular season, the Broncos secured the first-round bye and defeated the Buffalo Bills in a thrilling overtime win in the divisional round before losing to the New England Patriots in the American Football Conference Championship by three points.
That loss, of course, left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth; especially because the team was without their star quarterback Bo Nix for the game against the Patriots. Had he been healthy, maybe Denver is battling the Seattle Seahawks for the Super Bowl. Instead, the Broncos had to regroup and make some roster decisions.
Letting defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety P.J. Locke walk in free agency were tough decisions, but Denver returned the rest of the first-place team as well as adding a dynamic weapon to the offense.
Star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle will add another element to the passing game, one that didn’t feature too many in-breaking routes over the middle of the field. That’s where Waddle excels and where Nix typically struggles, but it appears those two were on the same page during the preseason and it should be a solid connection throughout the year.
Waddle began his career with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with the Miami Dolphins and takes immense talent with him to Denver. He will assist in helping head coach Sean Payton close in on a monumental milestone as well, which would be joining the top 10 in all-time coaching wins.
Payton is currently 13th on the list with 184 wins and with the Broncos destined for another great season, he should get inside the top 10 with ease barring major injuries.
“Payton, now in his fourth season with the Broncos, could move into the top 10 if the team plays at even a wild-card level,” ESPN’s Jeff Legwold wrote Monday. “The Broncos, who were tied for a league-best 14 wins last season, would move Payton from the No. 13 spot (184) to No. 9 with at least nine wins. Currently, Hall of Famer Chuck Noll and Mike Tomlin are tied at No. 9 with 193. Marty Schottenheimer is No. 8 with 200 wins.”
Payton is 30 wins away from passing Paul Brown (213 wins) for the No. 7 spot on the list, a feat he could accomplish over the next three seasons. He’s already in elite company, but he will rise at least six spots before he’s done coaching, and Curly Lambeau isn’t too far ahead of Brown on the list (226).
